The Toothless Adventure

Apples & Family

2013-01-06T11:24:00.000-08:00

Its been over a year with my "new" teeth and life is pretty good. While I miss the easy diet its nice to eat a sandwich and bite into pizza. I still can't bite into things that I can't cute with a plastic knife. The biggest impact is apples. Lucky I have a great brother and boyfriend TomCepa who will break pieces of an apple off for me!

Yummy!

Thanks guys! You the best!

Getting Teeth

2010-10-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to fill you in on the crazy process of getting teeth. Since I don't have the final teeth yet the current ones are plastic, so we can adjust the shape, size, color and gums. Its kind of cool!

These are not removable, well not by me at least. The dentist can remove them and make adjustments as needed. This happens every 1-2 weeks for the next 6 weeks. Should be completely done by Thanksgiving 2011. A full year!

There is a hole in the front of them allowing them to be removed, but before that they have to take out the green caps... It took 3 hrs to get the teeth put in and make the necessary adjustments on 4 teeth.

Picture below - green caps on left then the cap taken out, just a hole in my gums & then the tooth placed in there.

A close up of the holes in each tooth. Dentist filled in the holes, completely unnoticeable!

I have Teeth!!

2010-10-02T18:43:00.000-07:00

AFTER 10 MONTH, 5 DAYS and 308 DAYS, I HAVE TEETH! NON-REMOVABLE TEETH!

Now I have to say sorry for not writing sooner, I know it been over a week since I have had teeth. I have been so excited to go out and celebrate, eat in public and not have to remove my teeth. I feel like a normal human again! I forget I have them and then when I remember a huge smile appears on my face, I cant stop smiling! Even when I look in the mirror, it forget its me and what I look like with teeth!

I can smile in public and not be worried if my teeth are in, but I actually forget I have them and can do that! Its taking time getting used to having them, They are not the final ones, these are plastic. We are using this to get the shape, color and size correct, it is like picking out a cake! (which i can bite into now!) So I go back to the dentist weekly not to make adjustments, see how my gums are if I need another gum graph or have enough. I'm

My final teeth will be porcelain! So since they are plastic now I still have to be careful about what I eat and bite into, no pizza yet but have had cake, grilled cheese, english muffins and other soft sandwiches! They are so yummy! I may have gained a few lbs due to over indulging in the fact that I can eat with out taking my teeth out!

The process to put in the teeth is crazy too... Ill do that in another post and lost of picts.

Teeth Time!

2010-09-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

its really happening! I AM GETTING PERMANENT TEETH!

Its been confirmed, twice! They have what they need for me to have teeth, including the "tool" that was on back-order.

OMG! I cant believe its gonna happen after 10 months/ 309 days, I'm even scared to write this thinking something last min will delay it, so please knock on wood and cross your fingers.

I have tried not to tell others and keep it quite so that I dont get to excited, but with less that 24hrs to go I have a good feeling!

It should take 3 hours and Im not even sure I will be able to eat right away or how sore my mouth will be. I was told I would not be on any drugs, it just unscrewing my current caps and putting in the teeth, no pain, I was told. Then I get spend the next weeks adjusting the size, color and shape. Its like picking out a cake!

I will dep post pictures galore of what I look like and start the list of foods I want to bite into. There is so many Im not sure what I want first! As soon as im ready to bite away there will be a food crawl - going to all the places where the serve burgers, burritos, hot dogs, food on a stick, corn on the cob, sandwiches, panni's, finger food.. oh the list goes on! I welcome any suggestions of food to bite into and places to go!

Tonight will be the last night of being able to eat with my mouth closed! no more putting food through the gap! hahah

Just Kidding...

2010-09-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

So when they said your getting your teeth on the 15th... They Lied! I wish I could say nicer but no, thats how it is.

A week after my last appointment, a week before the scheduled date for teeth, the dentist's office calls to tell me they need to move my apt back a week! (wtf is what im thinking!) They say there is a tool that they and the lab (who is making the crowns) dont have. Its on back order! Hes telling me that No One in the city of SF, has this tool!!!!

Not only does this blow, and now I get to change my schedule around again, adjust my work schedule, but the worst part is the emotional roller coaster. If ya told me it was gonna be two months, fine but every week I find out its another week, I get excited then sad and excited and then disappointed!

Its 4 days away from being 10 months and I couldn't be more ready for the teeth. Im already thinking of all the food I wanna eat! But I'm afraid to get excited as they are gonna tell me its another week

Plus after I get them I cant really use them, bc they have to adjust the size, shape, color etc..
That part kind of sounds fun!

Its so close to the end, now when I meet people I dont even wanna start with the story, but I hate wearing my stay-plate. Its annoying and gives me a lisp. I either want teeth or accept that I dont have them, the "photo" teeth are added work. Can't eat with them, take them in, meet people - put them in.. I swear I spend more time putting them in and out than I do wearing them.

Also the annoying sound/rattling they make when there in my purse.. Not Cool!

Its Time....

2010-09-06T23:40:00.000-07:00

Yes that's right its down to 9 days... till I get teeth! Ones that are not removable!

I know its hard to believe after the last 2 months, when I've been told 3 diff times I would be getting teeth, but this is for real! Last Thursday I went into the dentist to get the impressions to make the teeth/crowns. That took 2 hrs and was an adventure of its own...

Last Monday I was at the Oral Surgeons, to have replace my current post/crown, (which are bright green!) with longer ones. It was gonna be a quick procedure, but that's what they told me last time and that didn't go so well.
Dr. S looked at my gums and said everything looked better than he expected, he replaced 1 post with a wider one and then game me the GREEN LIGHT to get the crowns! So excited as every I called the dentist to let them know and get the ball rolling!

A few calls back and fourth to figure out the schedule and what will be going on... my coordinator at the dentist's office calls me on wed to say that Thursday apt I will be getting teeth! WTF! I'm so excited, I question her because its so unreal - plus I thought I needed the impressions, she says they will do that all at once! She goes over all the steps and $$ etc... I'm so excited I cant believe it. I do have a little doubt and don't want to get my hopes to high, as before. So I don't tell anyone... (well, I did eventually tell my mom & coworker). Thursday am I get hung over ass to the doc, phone is dead but I don't care! I start filling out forms for the crowns and get the instructions for care... meet with Dr. I, and boom! NO TEETH!. He smiles, of course not he says to the coordinator and me, we need to get impressions!

haha I just smile, of course.. dam bitch for getting my hopes up! I should have known better, but after 9.5 months, I could taste it! So I was glad I didn't tell anyone, but in my head I was ready for everyone's reactions. Plus with the holiday weekending coming up, I thought about the great surprise it would have been to show up to see my family at the airport and have teeth! but no.. so close.

They took several impressions, 2 hrs worth of it! Also got an impression stuck in my mouth! How lucky am I? Its only happened once in 20 yrs and why would it not happen to me. It took them about 30 mins to get it out, with several attempts of pulling and tugging, they eventually had to saw it off in pieces to get it out of my mouth! Amazing!

Out of the craziness came 1 good thing.. impressions are done and off to the lab to shape my crowns. I have my next apt on Sept 15th 2010, to get the CROWNS PUT IN! by then it will have been about 10 months, 303 days, or 9 months and 31 days since the last time I had teeth. Clearly Im counting or excited.!

Surprise!

2010-08-06T23:11:00.000-07:00

Well todays procedure didnt go as planned... It was told I would get caps/post put in to the implants then the dentist would take the impression for the crowns to be made and teeth in a few days.. Well not so much....

3 of the 4 implants were in great shape and ready for its the close up, but the 4th was not, it didnt heal as well the others and was lacking in bone.

So the post got put in, a bone graph was done on th 4th implant and a tissue graph for all implants.

And the the post are green and stick out from my gums!

My stay-plate (retainer with teeth) has been adjusted to fit my mouth but It cant touch my gums to allow so the gums can heal.

I can still wear my "theeth" but it doenst cover the gums so if i smile or open my mouth to wide you see the green post!

So now I wait, again... 3-4 week to let the 4th implant heal, then see if its ready for the impression and crown.I have a bunch of stitches and I'm back to the liquid diet as well. But I do have percocet!

I also want to thank all my friends and family for the support, I was so excited that today was the day, and it didnt happen. Everyone was so supportive for me, and I almost feel guilty that I said I was getting teeth and all I have to show is a stub! But I love all the support and couldn't be more grateful!

Next steps and full procedure details below.. so close yet so far away!

Attaching the Post
When the gum tissue is ready, a special post is attached to the implant. It is the support for the new porcelain crown.

Placing the Crown
After impressions are taken a crown is made and shaded to match your existing teeth. The crown is then slipped over the post and cemented.

T Minus 30 min

2010-08-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

Wow! I cant believe that today is the day. It really is... I am getting permanent teeth in less than 30 mins.

I'm excited but know that I have 6 weeks before I can really use them. It like picking out a cake, I get to select the size, shape and color. So that whole process will take 6 weeks.

Having them and not using them will be hard but at least I wont have any holes in my mouth!

Ok its go time! Woohoo!

Im so greatful to have great freinds around me to help me out and visit! Thanks evereyone for your suppport, It means so much!

Ok Cheeze time over, time to get cut and start chomping!

Freedom!

2010-07-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

I know its been a while since a post but nothing much has happened! The braces annoyed me day by day, but it was part of the process. I had a few checks-ups over the past few months and thing were on course and by that I mean at a stand still.

The front two bottom teeth were still in the process of healing, not as tender and sensitive as before but not back at 100%. So they decide to make the wire from the braces a passive wire. Meaning the movement on the teeth is on hold for at least 3 months... Great, lets extend the fun! (oh and I find this out by calling the dentist to find out about insurance stuff) They also tell me that after 3mths that if things haven't healed they then the braces will stopped and I will see a periodontics. So i guess thats not so bad...

Well about 3 weeks after I'm told that I go to see the orthodontist, he says things are looking good and that the bone is re-generating on the front bottom teeth. He also says that he wants to keep the passive wire on for 6 months. To me that means theres no point for the braces, they arent doing anything for 6 months so why I gotta where them? If the teeth need a passive wire for support, they can have that with out braces on the rest of teeth.

after a few calls to all doc's, a little phone tag, I got the answers I wanted!

BRACES GONE!

They may need to put them on again, but I dont wanna think about that, for now they are gone, no more food stuck in them, no more brushing my teeth 8 times a day and no more cutting my lips! I couldn't be happier! FREEDOM FROM THE METAL!

Another Procedure

2010-05-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

Oy Vey X2!

I had a root canal on my bottom front two teeth... it wasnt as bad as everyone made it seem. I was awake the whole time and just numb. I could kind of smell the drilling, but I may have also passed out so...

The bad part was after, I was given a prescription for more percocet that I needed to fill across the st. It was the longest most painful Walgreens experience ever! Babies crying, an impatient mom and me in major mouth pain. I understood, but was not happy as the pharmacist had no clue what was going on and sent me back and forth. I wanted to give the mom a nice smile to show I was understanding, but since my mouth was numb and I had no teeth this was not an option.

Now I learn that the root canal was not as successful as it could have been. I get to have another procedure. They say its not as bad as the root canal but at this point none of its good! So today I am having the below done, with my braces on..

I'm having an apicoectomy or root-end resection. This procedure relieves the inflammation or infection in the bony area around the end of your tooth that continues after endodontic treatment. In this procedure, the gum tissue is opened, the infected tissue is removed, and sometimes the very end of the root is removed. A small filling may be placed to seal the root canal.

What this really means... more time off from work, more drugs, more time on the couch, more mushy foods and more weight loss!

Stitches and More..

2010-03-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Well at least the stitches are now gone! they were starting to come out as i was easting so that was kind of wierd. I think my mouth looks worse now but its a good thing.

Im still in pain though on the top and the braces still suck! At least your body can only feel pain from one place so when the tops not hurting the bottom is, its a nice combo I got going!

The amount of Rx meds I have is nuts. Percocet - 5mg & 10 mg or Vicoden, depending on the pain level and how functional I need to be. Amoxicillin, Ibprophen and some other meds to counteract the side effects of pain meds. The combo of all of that shit kind of fucks with my system and well my body is all messed up, hot cold every few mins. Dizzyness, lack of appetite and nausea. Life is exciting!

I'm a combo of a 13yr old with braces, a 80yr old with no teeth and 55yr old with hot/cold flashes.

Metal Mouth

2010-03-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

I have braces! yep im just gonna put it out there.. oh and I hate them! I've been there done that, I was 13 and had braces, and have no desire to go through it again, but yet im back here. They are only on the bottom and people tell me they cant see em but I think they lie! I see them and feel them and I dont like it.

Food get stuck in them, they cut up my lips, i got wax on them that comes out when I eat, so yes I've eaten some wax yummy! Plus I got lisp with it. Its bad enough I dont have my 4 front theeth but now i got braces. Its the icing on the cake!

People say oh its not noticeable and it will go by quickly but ya they are on the other side of things. These are gonna be the longest 6mths ever! The 4 months since the accident have not gone by fast at all so why would the months to come. Plus they arent in my shoes!

I have had a good attitude about this whole accident and have not been mad or blamed the person who hit the ball. Well that time is running up! I am trying to have a good attitude but these braces make me mad and sad, I hate them. I compare them to a heavy winter coat, that you weaing all the time and its heavy and annoying but you need it to keep warm but the first thing you wanna do when you get home is take them off. Well when I get home I cant take them off! They are always there! I cant smile about it.. I got metal in gums, not front teeth and now braces!

And they hurt! The top of my mouth still hurts and now i got the bottom hurting... so im still popping pain pill.

Whooohoo!

Impants - The begining...

2010-03-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

Oh lord...
So my mom comes into town to take care of me for the week, we dont know how bad or long recovery will be but its never bad to have extra help, esp when its your mom.

Monday, 3/1, we walk into the doc's office. He goes over whats gonna be done that day... I have also signd a dozen release forms by this point... for things they may do, may not but just in case! well wtf is the point? If i dont sign it then they wont do the work, and am i really gonna walk out of there? So I dont have much a choice, and reading all of it just scares you more.. Who wants to read about all the bad things that could go wrong or in detail what they are gonna be doing.. yikes!

With not a pause, the doc says oh and you have a tooth with a short root so we may just take that out too... WHAT? Woah wait.. what? Ya.. (he starts to tell me) where we want to put one of your implants is a large nerve, the front of the mouth, and we may not have room to put 3 implants and bc the tooth has a short root, it wont last long so we can just take that out now and give you more room for the implants. BUT.. we wont know till we get in there and see.. REALLY?

Hours later I wake up home on my couch.. no idea what happend between all that, thank goodness mommy was there to take care of me! I do know I woke up drooling blood on my fav sweatshirt and pillow, but no worries mommy saved the day..

So ya the 4th tooth came out, 3 was kind of uneven so now its nice that its the front 4.

Now we have pretty new picture!

And no I dont know if I will go off in the metal detectors,

Long Day...

2010-02-24T00:30:00.000-08:00

Ya know when you get home from a long day and all ya wanna do is take off those dam shoes or that suit that u been wearing all day!

Well I have that feeling when it comes to my teeth! I cant wait to take them out!

Save the Teeth!

2010-02-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

Well since I dont wanna loose more teeth, I have to have a root canal... 2 actually!

Sucks! I heard the nightmare stories about how bad root canals can be and I was scared. I cant deal with pain and mouth pain sucks! I would know!

So at least I can watch the Olympic's but its 9 am so the only thing on is curling.. the dumbest sport ever.. (at least the doc and nurse both agreed) Why do they try to talk and ask you questions when their hands are in your mouth? Do they really expect you to answer? I could try but I doubt it would make any sense or be understandable.

So I get laughing gas (why is it called that? ya cant laugh when ur on it) I got some topical Novocaine on to lessen the pain of the local anesthetic shot going into my gumbs! But it still hurt. The actual procedure is not to bad, now and then you can hear the drill going, yuck and then the smell of the tooth burning away. (ahhhhh)

It lasted about an 1.5 hrs in total but at least I got to watch some tv and I think i fell asleep during it.

The numbing feeling after is odd. I was def out of it and a little fuzzy. They gave me super strong ibuprofen but i knew that wasnt gonna cut it... so I got more Vicodin!

Then came Walgreens... dont go in there if you have no patience or are in a lot of pain! One woman brought a refill for her kid, but she had the wrong bottle with the wrong doc blah blah blah and im still there! Shes nice about it and knows i'm waiting..so she gives me a nice smile. Well I cant smile back bc my mouth is still numb and swollen. I dont have my teeth in and im in a shit load of pain so talking or smiling back is not an option!

Ahh give me my drugs! What feels like forever, who knows how long it actually takes but omg when ur in pain its forevers! Walgreens was def not on top of their game, one person sent me to one window i waited, and waited and then had to hail down a pharmacist to find out I had to go back to the other window! OMG!

Eating out...

2010-02-16T22:30:00.000-08:00

Eating out is not a challenge. I can eat most foods, I just have to cut everything and avoid foods that you can bite into... bread slices.. not so good!

Well the other night I went to a Tapas night with about 30 others... I was def a little worried about eating food that is based on little bites. Plus I figured I'd eventually have to chew the food and thus take out my theeth. (as many times as I type or say that it still freaks me out)

So after the mushy potatoes, appetizers and enough bonding between my table I figured I should warn them about my teeth. I had warn them during the happy hour before hand and as I was meeting everyone.

So before the main dish... I said... "I have to tell you all something so your not freaked out... I had an accident playing softball about 3 months ago and I got my front teeth knocked out, so what you see isnt real. and I cant eat with them so... Im gonna take my teeth out shortly!"

They all seemed ok, 1 girl said I was pretty cool and bad ass! The guys didnt say much, I think they were a little freaked out!

But all in all I did it! I ate in public, sitting with 5 people I had never met before that night!

Boooo ya Teeth!

Compliment..

2010-02-06T00:59:00.001-08:00

Was on the cable car, when a nice man tells me, you have a great smile! Lol boy he has no idea! I so wanted to say.. here you can have it.. !!

How great!

(This happened a month or so ago)

Dating....

2010-02-05T21:22:00.000-08:00

Getting back in the Saddle! Well trying too, at least...

Dating isnt easy, a gotta have confidence, be yourself, but not too much so ya dont scare em.. So much thinking goes into it, what to wear, what to say etc...

Now I have one more thing to worry and think about.. I have my "photo teeth" that I wear, but it gives me a lisp. Plus I'm not really comfortable wearing them and while I know they look good, I'm a little self conscious. So that may come across in my attitude.

The other issue is when and how do I tell a guy that I dont have front teeth.. Really how does that come up... After the first date, the second... Its not a permanent thing but its till August. So I cant avoid dating till then.

How long can I avoid going on a date where food is involved? I did go on one date where I was super hungry and the guy insisted on eating, lucky me I had soup.

Suggestions here... How and When do I say.. Hey I got no front theeth?

Implants..

2010-02-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

Everyones asking and confused about the process...

Im gonna make it simple... implants are the part that thats in gum that no one sees...

The metal wont be seen, it goes into the gum and takes about 6 months to heal.. ya it looks and sounds painful but that why I will be under and drugged!

After that I'll go back and get the teeth aka the bridge. It will prob be 2 implants for 3 teeth.

August will be a rough mount as I will be at the Doc's weekly to make sure the gums grow and reshape the way they should, and how we want them to. In the end you'll never know!

The Next Step

2010-01-26T22:31:00.000-08:00

Well apparently not everyone is able to get implants... not all gums are strong enough and thick enough to have implants. So after hearing this and a little panic inside.. I find out that I can get a crazy expensive high tech x-ray. To have this special x-ray, you need to have a special mold made that helps take measurements.

Well Lucky me, I already have a mouth plate aka my awesome "photo teeth" So they made a few holes and dots... feels kind of weird. But it saved me a week of time and money. So after a $400 scan, and missing half a day of work.. I get to wait! lol

I had to send the doc pictures of what my smile used to look like, so the can figure how to make me look like what i used too..

The oral surgeon and dentist need to discuss my plan... how to get my gums to shape right, what the next 6 mth will be like... Well either way its gonna be at least 2 surgeries, at least a week of recovering per surgery. Maybe more weight loss and smoothies!

Still waiting... omg! I hate waiting!

An international adventure

2009-12-19T21:01:00.000-08:00

Again I feel like the little kid. 1st it was baby spoons, then straws, baby toothbrush, breaces wax, and now the corner. It easier to eat in a corner where no one can see or get a glimps. I'm ok with ot but I get that odd, "what's wrong with you but I can't ask"from peeps i know and work with, I don't want it from stangers. Plus everytime I tell te story it gets shorter!

So at sfo I find the mush food, cutting my food up with a plastic knife and fork is too much work. By the time I'd be done I'd be to tired to eat! Anyway I find a chair facing the window and enjoy all 20 mins it takea to eat a fruit/yogurt parfit!

The holiday party

2009-12-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

Well it wasn't easy, I debated for days and up til mins before the company party to wear theeth? Plus trying to fit the case in my mini purse was another issue. Oy vey!

I didn't have a problem drinking, and prob made up for the lack of noschin on apps with drinks! Haha. But the teeth were still in and out like a groundhog day in the spring, ya never know when its coming out! (not that annology works, oh well!) I think it was on a 15-20 min rotation, I tried to wear it while talking with peeps esp the non-vbp-ers. But I am who I am and I'm happier, more comfortable and at ease without teeth. But I tried to please and not scare others. Plus I am not ready to be photographed looking like the country girl who lost a fight with a bull and is in the big city for the first time!

I was able to find enough food I could eat, but there were no knives avail so cutting the steak was not so easy. If it wasn't for the protien the energy cutting wouldn't have been worth the intake!

I danced theeth free, well most of the time, had to avoid all the flashes. Knock on wood I came out with no documentation on my mouth.

I did get, in mine, pretty slick about taking them in ad out. A nice big yawn and mouth cover...bam.. Now ya see it, now ya don't!

Overall, theethwise, it was a success. Next test parties with strangers!

Metal Mouth

2009-12-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

its all gone! I am offically free of metal in my mouth, and I plan to keep it that way.

Oh do I love laughing gas.. that stuff fun, not funny though.. hm wonder why they call it that? They gave me local anesthetic which kind of hurt but has a nice after effect. I cant feel my mouth or lips! eating is kind of out the door till that feeling comes back.

Now that the metal is gone, you can see my bottom theeth and gums, which sadly dont look good. Due to the metal/wax I couldn't brush well down there or floss at all. My gums are nice and raw.. oh so pretty. If it was a piece of steak it would b rare with a little blood, but it not and its my mouth! yummy! But at least they are nice and white.. oh wait no they not... the saltwater mouth wash turns them yello! oh its so nice!

My font bottom teeth are still kind of sore and I have to stick to the mushy food diet! More weight loss!

New Theeth

2009-12-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

well I now have two pair of "spare" teeth to put in when needed, well not so much as needed but for photo's and public appearances. I cant eat with it in and drinking feels a little odd. Its like having a small trap for liquids in my mouth... yumm I can save it for later!

With the holidays here and all the parties its been a debate. teeht or not? eat or not? Im ok with being around people I know and showing my lack of theeth but for others they are maybe a little scared... its past halloween so I cant play it off that way. Plus Im not ready to be photgraphed. At least if i have the photo I can control where it goes. At these parties there are always appitizers and yummy food I wanna eat but I cant if I got my theeth in! Then there is the drinking so I can drink with them in but not eat, so then I get drunk faster bc I'm not eating any food. Good time! We will see how that all works!

Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-11-26T22:30:00.000-08:00

This wasnt gonna be an easy meal. I can deal with my new diet when its the only options I have but that dinner was gonna be hard. Watching others eat all the good fixins. My family goes all out, we have 2-3 versions of each dish, plus the turkey and duck (also different flavors).

Smelling it and watching everyone eat that was really hard! But at least there are lots of mushy foods - sweat potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries & succotash. Plus my cuz helped me, he ate the hard crispy parts I couldnt eat, we made a good team!

This may have been the first thanksgiving that not only have I not gained weight but I lost!

Next year I'll have to have double turkey & duck to make up for the year before!